Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Television: Those magic moments

There are so many new television shows
every year, and only so much time and patience. It’s always fair to give a show
a few episodes to get its hooks in, and hopefully be interesting enough to
follow. I’ve found it actually disappointing when I can’t get into something
like Heroes, or Supernatural, or V – I wanted to like them, I liked the
concepts and the ideas, but I was never hooked.

But others get in deep, and I’ll follow them
until the end. And it often comes down to one pure moment that tips the balance
– it might be a moment of exquisite comic timing, or some deep emotional
moment, or some incredible piece of action, but once I’ve seen that, I’m
willing to follow this story to the end, no matter where it goes.

Because it can be a hell of a commitment,
taking years to fulfil, and the path it takes might be one I’m wary of
following, but it’s usually worth it.

I can always recognise that moment, when I
think something is so clever, or hilarious, or just good, and it’s always a
delight. Sometimes it comes in the first episode I ever see, sometimes it’s
four seasons in, but I always know it.

I can’t find the words to fully explain
this feeling, so I’me going to use theirs instead. And images. But no YouTube,
because I hate blogs full of YouTube windows. Go find it if you want it, it’s all out
there.

There is the usual subjectivity here – all
of these 23 television shows are from the past 15 years, when the best
television suddenly became better than the best movies, and I have a predictable
preference for genre television and long-form narratives that occasionally
touch some moment of transcendence, and lots of dopey adult cartoons.

These are those moments:

***

1.Battlestar
Galactica

“Well, this should be different.”

***

2. The
Simpsons

“There's a man here who says he can help
you.”

“Is it Batman?”

“He's a scientist.”

“Batman's a scientist.”

“It's not Batman!”

***

3.
Deadwood

“You can go now, brother”

***

4. Parks
& Recreation

“You may have thought you
heard me say I wanted a lot of bacon and eggs, but what I said was: Give me all the bacon and eggs you have.”

***

5. Lost

“Penny?”

***

6. Venture
Bros

“And I think my spaceship knows which way
to go! Tell my wife I love her very much!”

“She knows!”

“Ground Control to Major Tom! Your
circuit's dead, (there's something wrong!) Can you hear me, Major Tom?”

***

7. The
Wire

“All in the game, yo?”

***

8. Seinfeld

“No soup for you!”

***

9. Metalocalypse

“Go! Into! The water!”

***

10. Doctor
Who (new series):

“Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once,
everybody lives!”

***

11. Buffy
The Vampire Slayer

“Is Buffy Summers here tonight?”

***

12.
Arrested Development

“What have we always said is the most
important thing?”

“Breakfast.”

“Family.”

“Oh, right. Family. I thought you meant of
the things you eat.”

***

13. Rome

“Thirteen!”

***

14. Justified

“Pow.”

***

15. Mad
Men

“Peggy, listen to me, get out of here and
move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never
happened.”

***

16. SouthPark

“I love to singa, about the moon-a and the
June-a and the spring-a! I love to singa , about the sky all blue-a or a tea
for two-a…”

***

17.Trailer Park Boys:

“Act like you know me!”

***

18. Batman:
the Brave and the Bold

"Batman's rich history allows him to be interpreted in a multitude of
ways. To be sure, this is a lighter incarnation, but is certainly no less valid
and true to the character's roots then the tortured avenger, crying out for
mommy and daddy. And besides, those Easter bunnies looked really scary, right?

***

19. Game
of Thrones

“Stop this madness in the name of your King!

***

20.
Six Feet Under

“Lord bring peace to them in their grief as you have
in ours.”

***

21. Peep
Show:

“Here, eat some turkey!”

***

22. True
Blood

“Come, join us! It’s beautiful!”

***

23. Curb
Your Enthusiasm:

“Larry, is there anybody right now that
you’d like to ask for forgiveness, make right with?”